fandomhigh | Ethics [Thursday, October 1, 1st period]

When the Ethics class arrived in the Danger Shop, they stepped into an entirely different world.

An incredibly dry, hot one. That smelled really bad.

Anakin waved his hand around the room. "Welcome to the embodiment of gluttony," he said, "the palace of a Hutt."

He concentrated on the controls on the far side of the room, and the simulation sprung to life: dozens of beings drinking, eating, and dancing, with all activity centered around a vile slug of a beast laying on the raised dais at the front of the room.

In a place of honor on the wall was a man, face twisted in a silent scream but his features obscured beyond recognition, encased in silver. Anakin ignored it as he walked past to point at the creature on the dais. "That," he said, nose wrinkling in disgust, "is a Hutt. This particular version was named Jabba, one of the most powerful crime lords in the galaxy." A grim smile turned the corners of his mouth up. "At least until he met my children."

He shook his head. "That is neither here nor there. Today is an interactive experience for you, class. Take a good hard look around. See the effects that gluttony can have."

His eyes went flat. "Touch any of the dancing girls and you'll regret it. That's a promise."

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Karla wandered around, getting more and more upset. This place looked like a cross between the 'parties' the Ruling Council liked to put on and a Red Moon House after they came to power. There was fear here. And pleasure twisted by enjoying the pain of others. And a haunted, harried desperation. The emotions were so powerful that they threatened to overcome the reek of the palace itself.

...Or maybe it was just her, projecting what she fled from onto the scene in front of her.

Tara found herself near Karla. Usually the other girl's strength was comforting, but today she looked as overwhelmed and young as Tara felt.

"I never want to be in a place like this," she confided in a thick voice. "Ever."

"I have been," Karla said, stony-faced and staring at a dancing girl. "And I never wanted to be back."

...And then realized she'd actually spoken aloud. "Oh, uhh, I mean--well, you know."

Good cover, Karla.

"... not really," Tara said carefully. "Where - why?"

She was not doing so well with complete sentences.

Karla debated just how much to tell Tara. It wasn't the sort of thing someone could use as a weapon against her, but that didn't mean she felt like sharing everything. Still, since she was the one who couldn't keep her mouth shut, the least she could do was give Tara a brief, heavily-edited explanation.

"At home," she said, dragging her eyes away from the girl and to Tara. "There are some unpleasant changes taking place there. Things I intend to fix when I go back. But until then..." her eyes drifted towards the giant slug on the dais and her expression hardened. "Until then, scenes like this are growing more common than I'd like."

"I- I think I don't like your home very much," Tara said, then realized how she sounded and made a face. "No offense."

"It's fair," Karla said with a tired smile. "I don't like it much right now myself. Which is why when I usually speak of 'home,' I'm talking about another Territory completely."

"Oh." And that seemed like a good place to leave the specific topic before they were both completely depressed. "Th-this place makes me want to go vegan and do a bunch of sit-ups tonight."

That? That was a look of pure gratitude.

"Where's Vegan? and how do you go there?" Karla asked, quite happy with the change in topic.

"It means you don't eat meat, dairy -- stuff from cows -- eggs or, uh, honey," Tara explained, so quickly she tripped over her words a little. "So going vegan just means s-stopping eating those things. It's supposed to be healthier."

Tara had been raised on meat and potatoes. She was dubious.

Karla mirrored that look. "You don't eat meat? Or eggs? Or honey?" she asked, supremely skeptical. "And that's supposed to be healthy? That makes no kind of sense."

"Yeah, I know, but no one's asking you to do it," Tara said, a touch sharper than usual. "It -- it's about animal rights, too. Don't worry about it."

"Animal rights?" Karla asked, surprised by both the sharpness and the concept. "I thought you didn't have kindred in this world."

Ethics [Thursday, October 1, 1st period]

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